Staple extractor



Sept 4, 1953i A. H. MAYNARD 2,56'52023 STAPLE EXTRACTOR Filed April 8. 1949 Patented Sept. 4, 1951 UNITED STATES. PATENT oFFlcE .STAPLE EXTRACTOR Arthur H. Maynard, Y'Warwick R. '1., assgnor to vBostitch,.lnc., Stonington, Conn., -a corporation of Rhode Island Application April 8, 1949,7Se1ial N0`865210 2 Claims.

,wardly to yextract the staple without crinkling or bucklingfthe paper.

y Another object is to provide an implement of the type indicated having an abutment overlyl.ing the movable -blade and adapted to engage 'the head of the staple as it is Withdrawn upwardly -by saidvmovable blade to grip the staple and prevent it from flying out to strike the operator or to be projected at a distance from the device.

Another object is to provide an implement of the type indicated which is more convenient and easy to operate for extracting staples by causing their clinched legs to be straightenedv and withdrawn through the workV without lmutilating it and to retain the staples in the implement to prevent them from being thrown about to litter adjacent areas.

Further objects of the invention are set forth in the following specication which describes a preferred form of construction'of the device, by way of example, as illustrated .by the accompanying drawing. Inthe drawing;

Fig. 1 is a side elevational vview of the present improved staple-extractor;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the implement illustrating the method vof lnsertingits cooperating blades under the head of a staple;

Fig. 4 is a similar side view showing the method of operating the movable blade to withdraw the staple and `grip it to prevent it from ying away from the implement;

Fig. v 5 is an enlarged front .elevational view showing the essential parts of the implement illustrated in position Ywith the staple partly withdrawn;

Fig. 6 is asimilar V'view showing the implement at the end 'of the staple-extracting operation with the staple completely withdrawn and held thereon; and A 2 bodying the 'lifter-blade shown as disassembled fromA the handle-member.

Referring -to the drawing, the -present vimproved staple-extractorcomprises va main member -2 which kmay -be A'constructed kfrom -a fiat strip of sheet-metal yto gprovide a Vforwardly-projecting tapered blade -3 extended rearwardly Vin a flat portion -4 with -a handle f5 Iprojecting --upwardly 'there'afromininclined relation to its'fl-at portion.

The yblade V3 is "of peculiar formjbe'ing generally Vtapered toward 4`its-forward lend -in plan lview and -terminating`lin Va rounded point 6. shownin Figs. l3 and 4, the bottom of the blade is rounded or of oonvexshape tapering vforwardly toward its 'pointed 4end i6 to provide-a relatively thin sharp edge where v*it meets the upper Yface.A AS

vshown by-"dotted'lines in-Figs.-4 and --5, the hat top -of the blade '3 is recessed to Yform a -concavity -1 adapted to receivethefcooperatingupper lifter-blade 9. The lifter-blade 91formsthe forerpart of -a `nger-lever i0 rockably mounted on the Vmain member 2 lin `a manneras vlater explained.

A'Rising from the atop of the iforepar-t of the handle-member 2 --is Ya plate-like `member H which may ybe formed withlarpairo `'lugs 12 riveted through the dat portion -4- of the handlevmember, as -shown'by dotted vlines Vin Fig. f1,0r secured thereto `-by yotheresuitable means such as `brazing or welding. `The .member lil has a curved or crowned upper Iportion extendingforf wardly vin an offset `abutment I3 overhanging the topfof the `mainbl-ade 3ata-distance )thereabovewith A`its lower edge I4 in'inclined relation thereto. Rearwardly of the abutment 13 =the member H is icutv away with .a square-shaped notch |25 4designed .for a purpose vas later .explained.

The ifinger-lever I0 embodying the auxiliary lifter-blade 9 Lhas `a lat portion A.lli adapted -fto overlie and rest VIVon the viiat 4port-ion I 'of 'the handle-'member `2 with its-rearward end projecting upwardly at an angle thereto Y`to form-the finger-engaging portionof the lever. The ngerlever Il! is-pivoted to the member lton'the handle-member 2 by a novel 5and ingenious lforma-of construction as next described. .Referring to Fig. 7. the flatportion i6 of f the n'ger-leverf-i-B is-'slotted with a rectangular` opening il 1 'extended rearwardly and fforwardly in narrower portions i8 and 19 4to'adapt therplatemember II to profject through theopening :with fthe. sides .thereof abutting .the -sidesrof the plate-member.

A Atransverse. .pivot-pin 20 .is rheld in a-.hole

Fig. '7 is a yplan view `of the finger-lever em- 55 in .thezmember H with yits ends overlying the lever I where its iiat portion I6 joins the inclined rearward part thereof, the bend between these two parts of the lever forming a curved bearing 2| of small radius at the point of their joinder. The ends of the pin 2U engage against this curved bearing 2`I to adapt the lever I0 to rock or pivot about the axis of the pin when the rearward portion ofthe lever is tilted downwardly as shown in Fig. 4. The lever Ill is normally held with its liat portion I6 seated against the top of the flat portion 4 of the main.

member 2 by a two-part spring 25 coiled about the pin at either side of the member II. spaced series of coils of the spring '25 abut the sides of the member II andthe two inner coils are extended rearwardly in a U-shaped loop of Wire 26 inserted through the narrowedA slot or The Athumb may be pressed down on the lever I0 to rock it and withdraw the lifter-blade 9 from the concavity in the lower blade 3. It will be under- A stood that as the two tapering blades I3 and 9 opening I8 in the lever I0 to engage against the shoulders 28 at the end thereof as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The opposite or outer ends of the coils of the spring project rearwardly through the wider opening I1 in the lever I0 .in a pair of legs 21 engaging against the top of the llat portion 4 of the handle-member 2,

thereby maintaining the spring under tension tendingto rock the lever I0 to hold its flat portion I6 seated against the flat portion 4 of the handle-member. With the spring 25 thus tensioned its coils frictionally bind around the pin ,20 tohold it in place in the transverse hole of -the member II. On the other hand, the U- ,shaped'loop 26 of the wire which extends from the inner coils of the spring 25 engages through the narrower portion I8 of the slot I1 in the lever- I0 to prevent side play of the latter and -maintain it in alinement with the main member 2." The lever IIJ is restrained from forward or. rearward displacement by the engagement ofv theends of the pin 20 with the bearing portion 2|, it being understood that the two coiled -ing in -economy of manufacture and convenience in assembling the parts of the device. Itv will be Vnoted that the upper auxiliary blade 9 which projectsr forwardly from the lever I0 is of substantially the same outline as the blade 3 in plan view with a convex or rounded under side -toy vadapt it to i'lt closely within the concavity l:I 'of'the lower blade on the handle-member 2.

As shown more particularly in Fig. 4, the auxiliaryY blade 9 is civ-extremely thin cross-section and offset downwardly from the end of the flat portion I6 of the lever Ill. Whenthe rearward ,endwof the lever I0 is-v depressed toward the handle 5 ofthe handle-member 2 the auxiliary lifter-blade 9 will be rocked upwardly into substantial alinement with :the inclined edge I4 of the abutment I3 at the end of the plate I'I with the end of the flat portion entering the notch I5. Consequently, as the lifter-blade 9 is rocked upwardly to withdraw the staple s from the workk W the head of the staple will be carried into engagement with the edge vIII of the abutment I3, to bind or clamp it thereagainst and' prevent it from being projected upwardly or outwardly awayV from the implement.

The method of operation of the present improved staple-extractor is explained' as .'follows: r-line 'implement 'may be gripped in fone hand by are. inserted inv'under the head of the staple s the latter will be wedged upwardly to withdraw its legs through the work W, the clinched ends of the'legsV of the staple being gradually straightened during this operation as indicated in Fig. 5. Eventually, as the lever I0 is depressed to raise the lifter-blade 9 the staple s will be completely withdrawn and carried up on the lifter-blade to clamp it againstthe inclined edge I4 of the abutment I3 on the member II to hold it in placeand prevent its escape from the implement. Then when the lever Ill is released the spring 25 will rock it back into first position, thereby releasing the staple s so that it can be dropped into a wastebasket or other receptacle without littering the top of the des-k or other surfaces adjacent thereto. `In this vway the present device maybe operated conveniently and expeditiously to remove staples from the vwork without danger of their flying up to strike the face of the user or to be thrown about to litter adjacent objects. n

As before indicated the present device is of novel design and construction with the operating lever pivotally jointed to the main member. without the use of screws, rivets or other like elements, the pivot-pin 20 being held inv place by the spring 25 without requiring riveting or heading `over its ends so that the several parts of the device may be readily assembled, While making for economical -cost of manufacture of the implement.

4While the implement is herein shown and described as embodied in a preferred form of construction it is to be understood that modifications may be made in the shape and arrangement of its parts without departing from lthe spirit or scope of the invention as expressed'in :the accompanying claims. Therefore, without limiting myself in this respect, I claim:

l. In a, staple-extracting implement; a handle,- member having a flat portion with a pointed blade projecting forwardly therefrom and formed with a concavity in its upper face, a rigid platelike member projecting upwardly from the at portion of the handle-member in perpendicular relation thereto and terminating in an inclined ied'ge overlying the top of the blade on the handle-member in spaced relation thereto, a fingerlever formed with aY lifter-blade adapted tol seat in the concavity in the blade on the handle-member, means for pivotally mounting said lingerlever on the handle-member to adapt 'it to. rock in relation thereto to raise the lifter-blade from the concavity in the blade o n the handle-member and carry it toward the linclinedledge ofthe abutment member, and a spring acting between the handle-member and the linger-lever ,tojnormally maintain the latter with -its blade seated in the'concavity in the upper face of the blade on said handle-member. 2. Inastaple-extracting implement, a handlemember.having a at portion `with a pointed blade projecting forwardly therefrom and formed with a concavity in its upper face, an abutment projecting upwardly from the flat portion of the handle-member and'terminating in an inclined edge overlying the top of the blade on the handlemember in spaced relation thereto, a finger-lever formed with an opening through which the abutment projects with the sides of the opening abutting the sides thereof, said finger-lever having a pointed blade adapted to seat in the concavity in the upper face of the blade on the handle-member, a pin projecting through a hole in the abutment with its ends overlying a curved bearing portion on the ringer-lever, and a spring comprising spaced series of coils surrounding the pivot-pin at the sides of the abutment, the inner coils o! said spring being extended in a U-shaped loop projecting through the opening in the lever to engage the end thereof and said outer springcoils extended in legs projecting through the opening in the lever and bearing against the at portion of the handle-member to normally rock said lever to maintain the lifter-blade seated in the concavity of the main blade.

ARTHUR, H. MAYNARD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,166,419 Allan Jan. 4, 1916 2,481,647 De Generes Sept. 13, 1949 

